Eight anti-wrinkle foods

Skinless Chicken. Lean meat like chicken breasts, fish, and beans are packed with protein. While you’re digesting them, your body breaks protein down into amino acids to help build cells back up. Having plenty available will make it easier to repair and rebuild skin cells and the collagen that gives your skin structure.

Garlic. The pungent herb is packed with skin-protecting antioxidants called polyphenols, which help protect your skin from free radicals, the unstable molecules that break down collagen. Let chopped garlic stand for 10 to 15 minutes before adding it to a recipe to give it a chance to let its active compounds develop. Garlic and other polyphenol-rich foods are also some of the top cancer-preventing foods.

Green Tea. Coffee might increase wrinkles by upping stress hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline. Instead, get your caffeine fix from green tea, which is chock-full of polyphenols. Sip four cups a day, but cut yourself off after 3 p.m. if your body is sensitive to caffeine.

Water. When you’re not downing a cup of tea, stay hydrated with plenty of water. Keeping skin cells full of fluid help them take in healthy nutrients more easily and keep the membranes supple, meaning your skin will look hydrated and smooth.

Raspberries. Berries—whether raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries—have more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. Those antioxidants are your skin’s savior, protecting against wrinkle-causing skin damage. Aim for a cup a day, blended into a smoothie or tossed into a salad.

Olive oil. This healthy oil is loaded with oleic acid, a fatty acid that makes skin soft by keeping cell membranes fluid. Its vitamin E and polyphenols also help your skin look young. To get the most antioxidants, choose a 100 percent extra-virgin olive oil, which has the most antioxidants because it’s the least refined. Use it for your fat in most dishes, but avoid heating it too much or it will lose some of its healing properties.

Salmon. The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon aren’t just good for your heart. They also keep cell membranes fluid to help give your skin youthful smoothness. Eat at least two four-ounce servings of oily fish like salmon and mackerel every week. Salmon is also a excellent food source of vitamin D.

Beans. People who eat the most beans, fish, vegetables, and olive oils have the fewest wrinkles, found one Australian study of people in Australia, Sweden, and Greece. The researchers think the combination of healthy monounsaturated fats, lean protein, and antioxidants helped fight against aging.